Safari Notes

There is no doubt, that the World's waters are being over fished; be it in rivers or lakes or oceans. In many parts of the world, there is already very little fish to catch. But the ICCAT , which states that ' Science underpins the management decisions made by ICCAT ', has brushed aside recommendations by its own scientists to opt for catching more fish. From the WWF : The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, for the past week, brushed aside its own review’s description of its management of the bluefin fishery as “an international disgrace” to endorse a total allowable catch (TAC) of 22,000 tonnes for next year. ICCAT’s own scientists had recommended a TAC ranging 8,500 to 15,000 tonnes per year, warning there were real risks of the fishery collapsing otherwise. The scientists also urged a seasonal closure during the fragile spawning months of May and June, while today’s outcome allows industrial fishing in

If you had been to Mauritius' capital several years ago, you might not recognise it today. Back then, Port Louis didn't offer very much for the visitor to do or see. But Port Louis has had a face lift, and these days there's plenty to keep you busy. The new Caudan Waterfront is considered by many to be the main tourist attraction in Port Louis. With trendy shops, cinemas, restaurants and a casino, it has become the hub of the city. However, there are other places of interest for people who want to explore the city's jumble of crumbling old edifices and shiny new buildings a little further. >>>>> read more: GoAfrica More on Port Louis: Google Map , Tropiscope , Time and Date , Yahoo Travel , World66 , Knol , Wikipedia , Travel Mauritius , Infoplease , Encyclopedia , African Trips , BBC Weather , MPA , Municipal , mysterra , Topix , News

Mauritius again leads! In a 'child friendly index', done by an independent advocacy agency, assessing the treatment of children in African countries , the island nation came top. In East Africa, only Kenya comes at the top. From the BBC : Amongst the top 10 were Namibia and Malawi, which did far better than richer countries like Sudan and Angola. Mauritius was top and Guinea-Bissau bottom in ratings based on factors such as spending on health and education. "Governments that have come out well have put in place laws to protect children from abuse and exploitation, and they've targeted resources at children through better health and education." "Countries that invest in children will have a more productive work-force and the foundation of a more peaceful and democratic country." Congratulations to Mauritius and their leaders! Can the other African countries do the needed and the same. In the long run, taking care of children, takes care of Africa. Map: B

From Australia comes this very good news to save the bush stone curlew from extinction. Go to ABC here and here : Two landholders in southern New South Wales may have helped to save a threatened species of bird from extinction. The bush stone curlew is a ground-dwelling bird endangered in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. It is estimated the bird's population has declined by two-thirds in the past 20 years, with foxes and cats being their main predators. Two landholders in southern New South Wales have fulfilled their dream of saving an endangered species from extinction. They are the first to successfully breed the ground-dwelling bird, the Bush Stone-curlew, and release it back into the wild. And they say they weren't driven by science but what they call an 'insane passion' to see the population survive. For more on the bird, read this and this .

Picture an island that has everything. A dream tropical island. Large, lush and green. With mountains and valleys; streams, rivers and lakes. With some of the most exotic, rarest and weirdest form of animals that exist nowhere else on this Planet. And inhabited by some of the friendliest and humblest of people. That is Madagascar . A Paradise. A paradise that has become so desperately poor, that it has to give half of its arable land to foreigners to earn some money. What went wrong? Why is Madagascar not that dream island? Lack of proper economic planning with a vision, and having had for a long time, incompetent governance and a flawed economic system that aimed at achieving a 'socialist paradise' but failed; it is desperately poor, is ranked near the bottom of the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Index; and most of its people live in poverty and live on less than a dollar a day. Much of its rain forests have disappeared and with time and no proper c

Millions of Somalis have fled there homeland and have taken refuge in neighboring countries and distant places; millions more, live within the country displaced from their homes and live in terror, and in very difficult circumstances and conditions; while thousands, each year, in great danger from pirates and the treacherous sea, try to cross the sea for the safety in the countries to their North. Pirates roam and rule the seas. And a few warlords continue to bicker and quarrel about their country. At what cost? In all this tragedy, Somalia's wildlife , especially fish and other wild animals, are paying a very high price. With a coastline of 2,000 miles, its coastal waters does not have any protection from its government; an armada of foreign owned vessels, using all kinds of means, mercilessly continue to plunder its waters and loot indiscriminately; and take what they want as they wish. As for other wild animals, there are very few now left; and those left, are being mercilessly

Its very simple and very much worth your time. To take action! Go to the campaigns section of the World Wildlife Fund ; or the Australian organization which is helping very much with the campaign on Climate Change: The Big Switch .

Will the Mau Forest be saved? Kenyan leaders and politicians, in a bid for votes, have always failed in reaching an agreement on the Forest; most have always put their political interests first, than the Forests . And that's what they continue to do now . They do this, while an environmental disaster lies in waiting. " Effort should be made to save the forest because it is the source of lakes and rivers. Scientific reports say Lake Nakuru will be the first to dry ," recently said the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga. Most Kenyan leaders and politicians know the dangers of not protecting the Mau Forest; but fearing in losing votes, they have always failed to act to save the Forest. "Forest destruction will be a major blow to Kenya's biological diversity, since forests harbor 50% of Kenya's plant species, 40% of mammal species, 35% of butterfly species and 30% of bird species - all on only two percent of the land mass. Logging in the Mau Forest wil

Since the brutal assassination of Patrice Lumumba and through the dictatorship of the Western supported Mobutu in the DRC; through all the brutal and bloody regimes and wars that Uganda has seen; and though the many of the senseless mass killings and vendettas between the Hutus and Tutsis - the Great Lakes region of Africa : Uganda, the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi - has been the most unstable in Africa and one of the most conflict prone in the World. What has made the region even more unstable and cost the lives of millions of people, the worse being the Rwandan genocide of 1994 , is outside and foreign interference in there. Because of its vast and varied natural resources, foreign powers, especially from Europe - have, most times, not helped in allowing the region to have a long lasting peace. It's this interference that lead to the long and unwavering support for the dictator - Mobutu - after he had tortured and slayed Patrice Lumumba; after he continued to allow the looting, plund

Any one who listens to African music or has followed South Africa's struggle for independence, will undoubtedly have heard of Mama Afrika . She is no longer with us: Miriam Makeba died on Sunday after a concert in Italy . What they say about the greatest songstress from South Africa: The sudden passing of our beloved Miriam has saddened us … For many decades, starting in the years before we went to prison, MaMiriam featured prominently in our lives and we enjoyed her moving performances. When she went into exile she continued to make us proud as she used her worldwide fame to focus attention on the abomination of apartheid. Her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us. She was a mother to our struggle and to the young nation of ours. Nelson Mandela ...the world was slightly better because of Makeba's serenading and was now poorer for her death......We give great thanks to God for this tremendous gift of Miriam Makeba. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. Our co

Writing about the Luos yesterday, got me into thinking about Kisumu ; the third largest urban center in Kenya and the largest city of the Luos. In the late sixties and early seventies, Kisumu, was the cleanest and tidiest city in Kenya; and vibrant, pleasant, peaceful and the urban center with the lowest rate of violent crime in the country. It had an excellent infrastructure and an efficient municipal system. In Kenya it was, then, only rivaled by Nakuru in the Kenyan Rift Valley. And in East Africa, Mbale on the foothills of the Elgon in Uganda; and Arusha, near the Kilimanjaro - were comparable. Nakuru, has since the death of the Late President Jomo Kenyatta, which the city was a favorite retreat for, degraded; and so has Mbale in Uganda, which too, has degraded and decayed since the early seventies. And, Kisumu has since the late seventies continued to degrade, decay and become a sleepy, slumbering place with pot-holed streets and roads, and with a collapsing economy, an inefficie

It's about time. The Luo Peoples , are at last in real power. In Kenya, in the Sudan - where Luos are said to have originated from; and now in America. It has taken years, and in Africa - many have died for the Luos to realize their dream and reach where they are now. Luos, wherever they have lived, have always struggled to reach the top in education; it's in their blood and it's the way they are. They love learning and they love politics. And it's in politics where they have most, left their mark. Many times, their passion for politics has cost them enormously; as in the case of Kenya where several Luo leaders have been either assassinated - Tom Mboya and Robert Ouko being the most prominent; or brutally suppressed - like Oginga Odinga, Raila Odinga and James Orengo. In the Sudan, millions have died for the struggle in the South. In Uganda, Apolo Obote and the Luos in the North - in the sixties, early seventies and early eighties - had the political and military cl

" If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer ." So, said the next President of the US . I, we, have no doubt any more about that. And I do, for the first time truly envy Americans for how you can rise and at what you can do. And how lucky and blessed you are, to have such a democratic system and such ideals! Truly, you are a great people. And that is the reason you will continue leading the World militarily, economically and technologically; and you have just proven too, that you are above the rest of the World, morally. And now you have sent such a great statement across the globe, which will cause ripples and shock waves for a long time to come. Very hopefully, the ripples and shock waves - will be so powerful so as to bring too, the same kind of change that will, one day, allow